Cumberbund Attachment System and Method

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a quick attach/detach system for cumberbunds that maximizes available room for attachment of auxiliary equipment to a wearable personal device. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a personal wearable device having front and back portions, with each of the front and back portions having an outer wall and an inner wall such that the inner walls define a pocket within the device, wherein at least one of the inner walls has a fastening surface, and wherein a finger of a cumberbund attachment is insertable through a slot in an outer wall of the device so as to securely yet releasably attach to the inner wall fastening surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/548,981, filed Oct. 19, 2011 and entitled,“Cumberbund Attachment System and Method”, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to outerwear, and more particularly tocustomizable outerwear that can adapt to accept auxiliary gear orcumberbunds in various ways.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Military personnel, law enforcement personnel and/or outdoor enthusiastsall share a need to be able to quickly attach and detach peripheralequipment. For military personnel, the peripheral equipment can be, forexample, a chest rig, ammunition pouch, medical bag, day pack, hydrationpack or armor shield. Similarly, recreationists such as backpackers,campers, hikers, hunters might attach auxiliary gear such as a tent,food, climbing gear, first aid materials or other gear. Traditionally,pouches and equipment are attached to armor or recreational systems viaclips, buckles, straps, snaps, etc. These attachment methods can becumbersome and require the user to modify their routine or posture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention permits the individual with a wearable personaldevice to add carrying capacity without compromising space requirementsand while maintaining his or her sitting posture, rucksack inventory oruniform appearance, for example.

Traditionally, cumberbunds are used in the armor industry. However, theyattach externally to vests, plate carriers, backpack carriers and otherpersonal wearable devices via a lace-up method, hook and loop fastener,buckles, snaps, or straps, for example, thereby limiting the surfacearea to which other equipment can attach and making the donning anddoffing of armor and other attachments more difficult. The presentinvention provides a quick attach/detach system for cumberbunds thatmaximizes available room for attachment of auxiliary equipment to thewearable personal device, which can be an armor carrier, backpack systemor other outerwear, for example. The system of the present invention canbe offered in varied sizes and shapes to accommodate not onlydimensional requests, but capacity of auxiliary equipment andcumberbunds. In one embodiment, the system of the present invention canbe employed, for example, in a way that allows cumberbunds to attachinternally via button holes which allow attachment fingers of thecumberbund or auxiliary equipment to insert into an auxiliary pocket,thereby removing any restriction on available equipment space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a cumberbund attachment system according toone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of a cumberbund attachment system according toone embodiment of the present invention, with fingers of a cumberbundpartially inserted into button holes of an auxiliary pocket of apersonal wearable device.

FIG. 3 is a photograph of a portion of a personal wearable device havingan auxiliary pocket for use according to one embodiment of the presentinvention, with fingers of a cumberbund attachment system of the presentinvention fully inserted into button holes of the wearable device.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

FIGS. 1 through 3 depict an embodiment of a cumberbund attachment system25 and method in accordance with the present invention. Vests, platecarriers, backpack carriers and other personal wearable devices come inall shapes and sizes with a variety of optional accessories. In manyinstances, personal wearable devices include multiple plies of materialthat can be joined along edges to create openings or pockets therein. Asshown in FIG. 1, for example, such personal wearable devices 1 caninclude attachment subsystems 5 such as molle panels and the like, whichallow the wearer to attach equipment, gear and even other equipmentholders to the device 1. In one embodiment of the present invention, asshown in FIG. 3, the personal wearable device 1 is adapted with anauxiliary pocket 20 formed with a first wall 33 comprising the inside ofa front side 14 of the device 1 and a second wall 35 comprising theinside of a separate outer layer 29 of the device 1. Outer layer 29 canbe the back side of the device, in one embodiment of the presentinvention. The pocket wall 35 includes hook or loop-type fasteners 22 orother fasteners for receiving and retaining fingers 3 of a cumberbund inaccordance with the present invention. The portion of the cumberbund ofone embodiment of the present invention is identified at 2 in FIGS. 1and 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, in one embodiment of the present invention, thepersonal wearable device 1 has one or more slots or button holes 4formed in at least one side 17 thereof. Each button hole can be providedwith a length L1. Length L1 can vary in size to accommodate variousembodiments of the cumberbund as part of the present invention.Additionally, as shown in FIG. 3, the internal pocket wall 35 of thepersonal wearable device 1 is at least partially covered by fastenerssuch as hook or loop-type fasteners 22 to secure cumberbund fingers 3that extend through the openings 4 in the personal wearable device. Theopenings 4 provide access to the pocket 20 and the fasteners 22contained therein. While one internal wall 35 of the personal wearabledevice 1 includes fasteners 22, it will be appreciated that the opposinginternal wall 33 of the personal wearable device does not include matingfasteners; otherwise, the pocket would potentially be biased in a closedposition, thereby hindering the use of the present invention.Nevertheless, one embodiment of the present invention contemplates suchmating fasteners on the respective walls 33, 35 to assist in keeping thepocket closed during use of the device.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cumberbund attachment system 25 includesstraps (also referred to as a fingers) 3 which can be secured to thecumberbund (portion illustrated at 2) at a first end 8 of the finger 3by means of attachment 7 including, but not limited to, hook and loop,sewing, bonding or otherwise integrating the finger 3 with thecumberbund (or other auxiliary gear device). Each finger furtherincludes a second end 9 opposite the first end 8, which is appropriatelyterminated so as to prevent frayed edges from hindering the operation ofthe present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, eachfinger 3 can have a width L2, which is substantially equal to or lessthan the length L1 of a button hole 4 that the finger is designed topass through. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a top surface 6 of each finger3 is provided with hook or loop-type fasteners, for example, such thateach finger 3 can be removably attached to the interior surface 22 ofthe device 1 within pocket 20 when the finger 3 is fully inserted into acorresponding button hole 4 of the device 1. The bottom surface 16 ofeach finger 3 can be provided with or without hook or loop-typeconnectors, depending upon the embodiment of the present invention.

In operation, the user of the present invention assembles the cumberbundor other device to the personal wearable device prior to donning thecombined system. Such operation is initiated by inserting at least onefinger 3 through a corresponding button hole 4 on the front side 14 ofthe personal wearable device 1, then pulling the finger through (such asby inserting a hand into the pocket of the device) and securing theconnector surface 6 of the finger to the interior fasteners 22 of thedevice. The fingers 3 can be adjusted to accommodate the user's girth byreducing or extending the length of extension of the fingers within thepocket. In the embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 1and 2, the cumberbund portion 2 includes three separate fingers 3 andthe device 1 includes three corresponding button holes 4 sized toreceive each finger 3. While the fingers 3 and holes 4 are shown inuniform sizes, it will be appreciated that the present inventioncontemplates different sized fingers and holes to the extent greaterretention force may be needed in different deployments or for differentusers of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, each finger 3 is inserted into each correspondingbutton hole 4 from the front side 14 of the device 1. As shown in FIG.3, each finger 3 is inserted into each button hole 4 such that theattaching surface 6 (see FIG. 1) of each finger 3 is aligned withattachment surface 22 in the pocket of device 1. The fastening surface 6of each finger and the corresponding fastening surface 22 of the deviceengage each other so that the cumberbund is securely but removeablyattached to the device 1. Through the use of this internal attachment,the device 1 has additional room on the external side thereof to receiveadditional equipment and other attachments.

Once installed, the cumberbund will be securely retained adjacent thepersonal wearable device 1. For example, the cumberbund may wrap arounda body or wearable personal device such that the opposite end of thecumberbund may be similarly attached to a second and opposite side ofthe device in similar fashion to that described above. In one embodimentof the present invention, each finger 3 can be provided with hook orloop attachment means on top and bottom surfaces thereof so as toincrease versatility of mounting arrangements for the user. As thepresent invention assists in maximizing available open space on theouter walls of the personal wearable devices, it will be appreciatedthat, in one embodiment of the present invention, no finger isattachable or securable to the front portion outer wall or the backportion outer wall of the personal wearable device.

It should be understood that the foregoing description and examples areonly illustrative of the present invention; the optimum dimensionalrelationships for the parts of the invention, including variations insize, materials, shape, form, function and the manner of operation,assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent to one skilled in the art,and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawingsand described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by thepresent invention. Thus, various alternatives and modifications can bedevised by those skilled in the art without departing from theinvention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace allsuch alternatives, modifications, and variances that fall within thescope of the appended claims.

1. A system, comprising: a personal wearable device having front andback portions, with each of the front and back portions having an outerwall and an inner wall, with the inner walls defining a pocket withinthe device, wherein at least one of the inner walls has a fasteningsurface secured thereto, and with the front portion having at least oneslot formed in a side portion thereof; and a cumberbund attachmenthaving at least one finger extending therefrom, wherein the at least onefinger has a top surface and a bottom surface, at least one of the topand bottom surfaces being in the form of a finger fastening surface thatis securely yet releasably attachable to the inner wall fasteningsurface of the personal wearable device.
 2. The system of claim 1wherein the inner wall fastening surface comprises a surface having hookor loop fasteners thereon.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the fingerfastening surface comprises a surface having hook or loop fastenersthereon.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one finger isextendable through the at least one slot.
 5. The system of claim 1wherein the at least one finger is not attachable or securable to thefront portion outer wall or the back portion outer wall of the personalwearable device.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein both of the innerwalls have a fastening surface secured thereto.
 7. The system of claim 1wherein one of the inner walls does not have a fastening surface securedthereto.
 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one slotcomprises multiple slots of varying width, and wherein the cumberbundattachment has at least two fingers of varying widths.
 9. A method,comprising: providing a personal wearable device with front and backportions, with each of the front and back portions having an outer walland an inner wall, with the inner walls defining a pocket within thedevice, wherein at least one of the inner walls has a fastening surfacesecured thereto, and with the front portion having at least one slotformed in a side portion thereof; providing a cumberbund attachmenthaving at least one finger extending therefrom wherein the at least onefinger has a top surface and a bottom surface, at least one of the topand bottom surfaces being in the form of a finger fastening surface; andinserting the at least one finger through the at least one slot, suchthat the finger fastening surface engages the inner wall fasteningsurface.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the inner wall fasteningsurface comprises a surface having hook or loop fasteners thereon. 11.The method of claim 9 wherein the finger fastening surface comprises asurface having hook or loop fasteners thereon.
 12. The method of claim 9wherein the at least one finger is extendable through the at least oneslot.
 13. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one finger is notattachable or securable to the front portion outer wall or the backportion outer wall of the personal wearable device.
 14. The method ofclaim 9 wherein both of the inner walls have a fastening surface securedthereto.
 15. The method of claim 9 wherein one of the inner walls doesnot have a fastening surface secured thereto.
 16. The method of claim 9wherein the at least one slot comprises multiple slots of varying width,and wherein the cumberbund attachment has at least two fingers ofvarying widths.
 17. The method of claim 9 including the further step ofpulling the at least one finger through the at least one slot andsecuring the finger fastening surface to the inner wall fasteningsurface.